“I knew that Jean-Louis Palladin was an influential chef for his spectacular melding of traditional Gascon food with post–nouvelle cuisine innovation," notes former New York Times restaurant critic Bryan Miller. "What I learned while doing research for Jean-Louis Lives! was that he was one of the very early pioneers of sourcing the very best American products and encouraging producers to work with chefs. Every time I eat a diver scallop, I tip my hat to his memory.”

Jean-Louis Lives!!!…As well he should in the hearts and minds of everyone wielding knife and tweezers. Yet some 12 years after his passing, this obsessed, hard-charging, large-living chef, so seminal and influential, barely registers in today’s now-and-new culinary universe. His last name was Palladin, by the way. Bryan Miller restores the institutional memory of a great one.

The Man Who Started a MovementIn a 1970s world of frozen food and imports, French chef Jean-Louis Palladin chose to look in another direction. His new back yard—from sea to shining sea—became his playground.

Cooking with Julia & Jean-LouisIn 1994, Jean-Louis Palladin stepped behind the camera to appear on Julia Child: Cooking with Master Chefs. His show, “Foie Gras with Jean-Louis Palladin,” was the first in the 16 part series.

Silver Spoon Award: Jean-Louis PalladinIn September 1996, Food Arts awarded the Silver Spoon award to Palladin as the gregarious, restive, and inventive chef whose marriage of French rigor and soul to American foodstuffs stretched the parameters of this country's palate.

Braised Sweetbreads Wrapped in Black Truffles with Celeriac/Cream Sauce"What an extraordinary thing is the truffle, the caviar of the forest! … White truffles have a strong taste of garlic, and Monsieur [Jacques] Pebeyre taught me a trick: if you rub a little garlic on the knife when you cut a black truffle, it will enhance the flavor and make it taste more like a white one." —Adapted from Jean-Louis: Cooking with the Seasons by Jean-Louis Palladin

Sautéed Swordfish & Osetra Cakes with Caviar Sauce"Swordfish is very tricky to cook—a few seconds too long, and it’s ruined. The taste is beautiful, but a little plain; combining it with caviar gives it just the twist it needs because caviar is salty and has a lot of iodine." —Adapted from Jean-Louis: Cooking with the Seasons by Jean-Louis Palladin